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Chapter Text

Before Copia ever took the stage, he was just another face in the audience, newly arrived at the Ministry and filled with a desire to prove himself. He spent his days sitting in the lecture hall desks and the pews of the chapel, learning the ways of sin with the clumsy enthusiasm of a novitiate. It was rather stressful, looking back on it, but he scarcely noticed at the time. It was all so new, the shift in perspective offering a delicious contrast to the world he’d known before.

Then, he met you, and his world flipped on its axis.

The way the two of you met wasn’t terribly glamorous. You just happened to be sitting next to him during some tedious Latin class, and before he’d even realized it, the two of you became fast friends. It started with studying together, but then he saw you eating lunch one day, an open book on the table in front of you. When you caught sight of him, your smile made him brave enough to come and sit with you.

He didn’t know at the time how precious a thing it was, to feel so at ease around someone, to be able to relax. Not until it was gone. But, while it lasted, he couldn’t have asked for a better companion, and together, the two of you made your first shaky steps into Ministry life.

It became clear after a while that you were bound for very different paths. Your studies drew you deeper into the academic side of the Ministry, and it wasn’t uncommon for you to have twice as many books at your desk than Copia did. For Copia, he could think of no better use of his life than to preach the good word of sin, to take the unrestrained joy he’d found at the Ministry and share it with as many people as he could. He was determined, and you encouraged him – and perhaps once or twice, when he doubted himself, your reassurance gave him his confidence back.

Within a matter of months, he received his first promotion, and then suddenly he hardly saw you, at all. He missed you terribly, sometimes. There were days he wondered if the way he’d pushed himself through his studies had been worth losing your company.

True, he was proud of his success – it felt right, to immerse himself in the principles of sin and rebellion. He wasn’t just Brother Copia now, he was Bishop Copia. He felt accomplished, when he gave his first homily on the sin of greed one morning. True, the chapel wasn’t terribly full at the time, but it didn’t need to be. Three pews back on the left, there you were, eyes glittering as you smiled up at him.

When mass was done, he saw you lingering outside the chapel door, peeking in now and then to see if he was on his way out. That was so nice. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed you, with the breathtaking pace of his duties since his promotion. The fact that you even remembered him, let alone still wanted to see him, made him feel warm in a way he wasn’t entirely familiar with.

When he finally made his way out of the chapel, you were still there, waiting for him with a bright smile. He suddenly found himself at a loss for words, and for a second he just sort of stuttered uselessly. Good job, Copia.

“It’s so good to see you!” you said. Either you didn’t notice his nervousness, or you didn’t mind.

“I- yes,” he nodded. “You, too. It’s been far too long.”

“You did wonderfully,” you said, gesturing back to the chapel. “I can barely believe this is your first time leading a service.”

“Thank you,” he felt his cheeks getting hot, despite knowing you were probably just being nice. “I worked on that for a long time.”

“I could tell,” said another voice behind him.

Copia nearly jumped at the sound, and he turned quickly to see a man he wasn’t sure he’d met before. A Cardinal, judging by the paint on his face and the glittering grucifix that hung from the front of his cassock. Instinctively, Copia stood up a little straighter as the man approached.

“That was a well-prepared lesson,” the Cardinal continued. “I’ve heard less refined deliveries from some of my colleagues.”

The closer he got, the more certain Copia became that he’d never seen him before. He absolutely would have remembered a face like this. The angles of his jaw and cheekbones could have been carved from marble, to say nothing of his piercing eyes. He was smiling, looking perfectly relaxed, meanwhile Copia felt his stomach begin to twist with nerves.

Oh fuck, he’s so far out of my league.

Why was that the first thought that came to mind? He cleared his throat and took a step back, fidgeting a little as he tried to face the Cardinal more fully without turning his back to you.

“Thank you, Cardinal,” he said with a nod, immensely thankful he didn’t trip over his words.

“Please,” the Cardinal laughed softly, waving one hand. “My name is Terzo. I don’t believe we’ve met, before.”

“Eh, no, I don’t think so,” Copia said. “I’m Copia.”

“Ah,” Terzo’s smile grew wider. “You’re the new bishop I’ve heard so much about. It’s very good to meet you, Copia.”

He extended a hand toward Copia, who shook it instinctively, the movement barely registering in his mind. What on earth was he supposed to say to that? What had Terzo heard about him? Who had told him? Why?

“I – ah,” he finally said, “likewise. You haven’t heard anything too awful, I hope.”

He tried to sound lighthearted, but he wasn’t sure it worked. Thankfully, he heard you laugh in that reassuring way of yours, and then your hand came up to rest on his shoulder.

“Of course not,” you said. “I just told him about how helpful you were in Latin class.”

“And how quickly you rose to your current position,” Terzo remarked. “Ambition is a gift, and clearly one you’re already making good use of. It’s good to see, especially in someone so new.”

Copia felt his heart start to race. His shoulder felt faintly electrified under your touch, and he looked at you with faint disbelief. You looked…excited, almost, like you’d been wanting to introduce him to this fiendishly handsome Cardinal for ages. Lucifer, maybe you had. There was a thought he didn’t know what to do with.

After a second, he realized he should probably say something in response to the very generous compliment he’d just been given. He turned hurriedly back to Terzo with a slight bow of his head.

“Thank you so much,” he said, the words rushing out of him all at once. “That means…wow. I mean – I take the lessons very seriously. This Ministry is…it’s my whole life.”

He stopped himself there before he started rambling. Terzo gave him a look that was difficult to read, but just as Copia was about to panic, he smiled, nodding slightly. Copia felt like he’d just passed some sort of test, but he wasn’t sure if the idea made him more or less nervous.

“She did say you were dedicated,” he remarked. “Would you like to join us for lunch? I’m sure you could use something to eat. Lucifer knows I couldn’t stand the thought of breakfast, when I led my first service.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Copia looked away for a moment, trying to remember how many cups of coffee he’d had and whether it counted as breakfast. Probably not.

“We should hurry,” you said, bouncing a bit on your feet. “I think they have that cream cake at the cafeteria today.”

Copia chuckled; despite how long it had been, that was still your favorite. The three of you made your way down the hall together, and gradually he felt his nerves beginning to calm. Sitting at one of the round cafeteria tables, the three of you enjoyed lunch together in an easy sort of camaraderie. Copia felt more relaxed than he had in months, and he realized how much he’d missed talking to you.

Cardinal Terzo was equally nice company, though he remained almost intimidatingly charming. He was clever, a very good listener, and more than that, he was funny. He had a way of phrasing things with just the right inflection, and for a moment, neither you nor Copia would realize it was a joke. Then once it hit, both of you would dissolve into laughter, and oh Lucifer, Copia had missed your laugh.

Something clenched tight in his chest, when he saw how happy you looked. It took him too long to recognize it as longing. By the time the realization settled over his mind, he had already glanced over at Terzo and seen his eyes fixed on you. There was such, such warmth in Terzo’s expression, and any hope Copia might have had vanished like smoke. Terzo was out of his league, certainly…but really, so were you. And next to Terzo? He had no chance.

When he saw the way you smiled back at Terzo, he knew for certain he never would.

He excused himself once he was done eating, retreating back to his room with regret starting to crawl its way through him. That morning, reading and re-reading the notes he’d prepared for his lesson, he’d never felt more fulfilled, more accomplished. He’d felt proud. Now? He didn’t exactly regret how hard he’d been working, but there was a prickle of doubt in the back of his mind. Would he have had the chance to spend more time with you, if he hadn’t been so focused on his studies? Would it have mattered, if he had? It still felt dreadfully presumptuous to think you would ever look at him like that, ever laugh like that because of him.

No. No, that was wishful thinking. You were miles above him, and he knew it. Perhaps subconsciously, he had always known. And now, you’d found someone to match your charm and beauty, who clearly cared about you. He could never even think of trying to keep that from you. Terzo made you happy, and you made him happy in return, and that gave Copia some comfort.

It still didn’t make it hurt any less.

--

The ache of longing in Copia’s chest never really left. It would fade from time to time, usually when he became absorbed in a project or focused on his work, but it was never completely gone. He threw himself into his studies with a renewed passion, trying to give himself something to work towards, something he could be proud of. It did work, to some extent. He became more confident, more comfortable giving lessons, and after some time he noticed a few of the Siblings of Sin were returning each week to hear him speak.

You were always there, without fail. It became a sort of routine, for him. He would begin the service, make his way through the familiar litanies and incantations, swinging the thurible slowly in his hand. A sense of peace and purpose would settle over his shoulders like a blanket, filling his mind with a warm, infernal joy. And then, he would turn to face the congregation, and for one anxious moment, his eyes would be drawn to the third pew on the left, looking for you.

Every week, he would be half-convinced that this time, you wouldn’t be there. You’d be too busy, or you’d forget, or you’d be sick, or whatever other reason his mind could conjure up. But, no. There you were, smiling up at him, and he could never keep from smiling back. Sometimes, Terzo would be seated beside you, and the first few times that happened, it made his heart race a bit with nerves. Despite the Cardinal’s pleasant expression, it made Copia put extra intention and focus into his actions, wanting to prove himself despite there being no real sign Terzo was judging him.

When mass was done, you would wait for him outside the chapel, and then the two or three of you would have lunch together, after. Some days, Terzo would join you, some days he would have to rush to a meeting or some other urgent business. But, he would always stay long enough to speak with Copia, even for just a moment. He was encouraging, expressing his appreciation for Copia’s lessons freely and without a hint of insincerity. He was so honest about it, even the most awful part of Copia’s mind couldn’t convince him he didn’t mean it.

Copia liked it best when the three of you had time to eat lunch together, though. He was a bit nervous around Terzo at first, but Terzo himself was relaxed enough that it didn’t last long. It became his favorite part of the week, an hour or so for him to enjoy your company before you all returned to your work. You would discuss anything and everything, art and philosophy and whatever new books you were studying. A warm familiarity began to grow between the three of you. At times, Copia was tempted to call it intimacy.

But then, he would see your cheeks darken a little when Terzo gave you a particularly bold compliment, or he would hear the way Terzo’s voice softened after you made him laugh. It never failed to pull him right back up to earth, knowing the two of you had something beautiful that he could never hope to share. And, there was that ache in his chest again. After a while, it almost became pleasant. He could never hope to share that closeness with either of you, but he was grateful for what he had.

Then one morning, you smiled up at him from your pew with sadness in your eyes. Over lunch, you explained that you were going to begin working at the Abbey’s library, and the change in hours meant you wouldn’t be able to attend his services as often. You did say you’d meet him for lunch, when you could, but you didn’t sound optimistic. Copia was happy for you, though it hurt to think of losing your time together every week. Terzo hadn’t been able to join the two of you in nearly a month, and the idea of losing you both felt dreadfully lonely. The ache was a little less pleasant, that day.

As the two of you parted ways, however, you gave him the shock of his life by pulling him into a hug. He stood frozen for a second before returning it, tucking his face into your hair. He tried to memorize the feeling of you, the soft scent of your perfume, the sound of your voice as you hummed pleasantly in his ear.

“I’ll miss you,” he confessed.

“I’ll miss you, too,” you whispered, softly enough that he was the only one who could hear you.

Copia didn’t see you at his morning services again, but Cardinal Terzo attended when he could. That came as a surprise to Copia, who had sort of figured he’d only come by because you were there. Seeing him waiting outside the chapel afterwards was an even bigger surprise, but Terzo greeted him as though there were nothing out of the ordinary. Lunch was different, with just the two of them there, but somehow it wasn’t awkward. The familiarity was still there, and Terzo was just as insightful and witty as he’d always been. It felt like the sun breaking through the clouds in Copia’s heart, hearing Terzo laugh again.

When Copia asked about you, Terzo admitted he hadn’t been able to see you very often, since you’d begun working at the library. He looked a bit dispirited, especially when he heard that Copia hadn’t had the chance to speak with you, either.

“The library can be demanding,” he muttered, “and Lucifer knows I’ve had more than enough on my plate, as well.”

He didn’t elaborate, and Copia was unnerved enough by the seriousness in his face that he didn’t pry any further. It rather surprised him that the two of you weren’t together more often. Had he been wrong about you? He didn’t dare ask.

For a while after that, it was just the two of them, every once in a few weeks when Terzo had time to come and see him. It was rather intense, to have Terzo’s full attention on him, but Copia enjoyed it. Now and then, he would get this glimmer in his eye, smiling in a playful sort of way that made Copia wonder if he was flirting with him. He had to be overthinking it, though. There was just no way. So, he would just chuckle, sometimes making a joke in response when he wasn’t too nervous to think. It was fun. A bit nerve-wracking, but fun.

The last time Copia saw him, there was no sadness in his eyes. Rather, he looked excited all through the service, and then at lunch he couldn’t seem to stop smiling. He was being promoted soon, and when Copia heard what his new position would be, he just about fell out of his chair. It felt unreal, to hear that the charming Cardinal sitting across from him would be Papa Emeritus the Third in less than a week. He hardly knew what to say. “Congratulations” just didn’t feel adequate.

“You’ll be incredible,” he finally said. “I know you will.”

Terzo actually blushed, just a little. That was new.

“Thank you,” he replied. “I hope I don’t disappoint.”

You could never, Copia didn’t say.

Terzo didn’t hug him, when he left, but he did set a hand on Copia’s shoulder for a moment. His expression was incredibly soft, so much so that Copia wondered if he wasn’t the only one carrying that bittersweet heaviness above his heart.

“This may be the last time I see you for a while,” Terzo said, his voice gentle in a way Copia had never heard before. “I’m going to miss this.”

Oh. Oh, Lucifer. What was he supposed to do now?

“…so am I,” he finally said.

He summoned just enough courage to put one hand over Terzo’s, where it rested on his shoulder. The leather of his glove was warm and soft. He found himself feeling cheated that he hadn’t felt it before now. 

Chapter Text

The next time Copia saw either of you, it felt like an age had passed. Bishop Copia was now Cardinal Copia, and his heart glowed with sinful pride when he donned his biretta each morning. His duties were much more involved now, overseeing more administrative tasks in addition to his sermons, which was a fairly good distraction most days. Some of the Siblings he worked with had invited him to lunch one afternoon, and slowly he’d formed a new group of friends to visit between working hours. He’d developed another routine, a different rhythm from the previous one but with familiar steps. Perhaps this was just the way life was, sometimes. One chapter closing, another beginning.

Before he knew it, he found himself sitting in the chapel with the rest of the congregation, awaiting the start of a ritual orgy. It was hardly the first time he’d attended worship since Terzo’s promotion. Actually, it wasn’t even the first ritual orgy – they were fairly frequent occurrences, in the Ministry. But, with the Ghost project on tour, Papa Primo and Papa Secondo had been the ones leading worship.

Copia wasn’t certain when the tour was going to end, and he was almost afraid to ask. It made his palms sweat, each time he walked into the chapel, to think he might see the newly crowned Papa Terzo in all his glory. It was the same anticipation that made his heart race a bit, when he passed the reference desk in the library. Each time he led mass, his eyes would be drawn inexorably to the third pew on the left, as though if he tried hard enough, he could manifest your presence.

When he attended himself, he stayed near the back of the sanctuary, and he had taken his usual seat tonight feeling relatively calm. After this long, the idea that he might see one of you felt remote. He was able to relax and cast his eyes lazily over the crowd, wondering if he would see anyone whose company he’d enjoyed during previous rituals. It wasn’t often that he chose the same partner twice, during these rituals, but it had certainly happened. He wasn’t finding any familiar faces tonight, though.

Maybe someone new would take an interest in him. That was always thrilling, if slightly nerve-wracking at first. He took a deep breath, trying to build up his confidence a little before he approached anyone. There was time before he actually had to use it, of course; the ritual hadn’t even started, yet. It was good to be prepared, though. No matter how many times he did this, it was always helpful to get his feet under him before he took the plunge.

He was so lost in thought that it startled him when the opening hymn began to play. He tripped over his feet a little as he stood, and he had to grab onto the pew in front of him for balance. He knew the hymn by heart, so it was no trouble for him to sing along with the rest of the congregation, but when the chapel doors swung open, his voice went silent.

It was Terzo.

It was Terzo like Copia had never seen him, dressed in a shining satin chasuble, bejeweled with ornate medallions and lined in rich purple. The paint on his face was striking in its simplicity, emphasizing his features rather than obscuring them. He walked with purpose up the center aisle, straight-backed and elegant in his movements, and even through the sound of the congregation, Copia could hear his voice loud and clear. In one hand, he swung a thurible full of incense from side to side, its smoke drifting up around him as he walked.

Satanas, he was beautiful. It nearly pained Copia to look at him, he was so beautiful, and his voice! It was as though he’d walked up from hell itself, a vision of infernal majesty. All Copia could do was stand and stare, heart in his throat, as Terzo – as Papa Terzo made his way to the front of the chapel.

He nearly forgot to sit down when the hymn was done. As Terzo set the thurible down and turned to face the congregation, Copia felt his heart skip a beat. He could hardly believe this was the same man who’d sat across from him at lunch, making jokes and sipping his coffee like any other member of the Ministry. Terzo stood silent for a moment, gazing at the crowd with a stare so intense, Copia could swear he felt the weight of it on his shoulders.

“Io sono Papa Emeritus…” he began, “il Terzo.”

The chapel erupted into cheering, and Copia began clapping hard enough that it nearly hurt his hands. Terzo’s eyes slid gently closed, and he bowed his head just a little, raising his arms wide to bask in their adoration. Copia felt his eyes sting a bit; he was perfect, the very picture of unholy magnificence. Copia had known he would be amazing, but to see it in person was unreal. He almost cursed himself for choosing a seat this far back, but the idea of being any closer to him was almost too much to imagine.

Terzo lowered his hands, and the chapel went silent. It thrilled Copia a bit, to see the power he held over them all from the moment of his introduction.

“It is so good to see all of your beautiful faces again,” he said, “though I would certainly like to see more of you very soon.”

The corner of his mouth tilted up in a cheeky smile, and suddenly he was the charming Terzo Copia knew so well. A soft hush of laughter rippled through the chapel, and the bowstring-tense atmosphere began to relax.

“Tonight, we gather to celebrate the unholy sin of lust,” Terzo continued. “A personal favorite of mine, as far as sins go. It is a gift from our dark lord, this frisson of carnal ecstasy, this throbbing ache of desire just under the skin…”

He brought the fingertips of one hand to his cheek, stroking them gently over the curve of his jaw, just below the paint. His eyes closed again, and for a moment, he was the picture of bliss. His gloves had claws at the end, gleaming gold in the candlelight. Copia heard a few people gasp softly at the sight. He might have been one of them.

“Such a gorgeous sensation,” Terzo’s hand continued moving as he spoke, fingers tracing gently down the side of his throat. “I’ve been traveling this strange and wonderful world for so long, and do you know what I’ve learned? All of the people out there, standing in the crowd? They’re so hungry for this. They’re desperate for it. They fall to their knees at the slightest invitation. This world is so starved for desire, for sin, they all but beg for it the moment we arrive.”

Copia licked his lips unconsciously. Half the room was breathing heavily now, leaning forward to take in the sight of Terzo’s head tilting back. A he moved, his neck came into view above his collar. It was the slightest hint of skin, hardly anything, but it had them all on the edge of the pews. An absolutely wicked grin broke across Terzo’s face, and he lowered his hand and looked at them all with amusement.

“We are all so blessed to be here tonight, my friends,” he said. “Think of the world out there, so ignorant, so afraid of their own desires, their own bodies! Here in this den of lascivious indulgence, we are free to ask for what we want. We are free to partake of whatever delightful obscenities we wish. I think that is worth celebrating.”

He gestured to the altar behind him, its cushioned surface draped in a lush velvet cloth.

“You may have noticed that I did not have a companion accompany me into the chapel,” he said.

Copia hadn’t, but now that he mentioned it, it was unusual. Papa’s chosen company for the evening would usually walk behind him, draped in a ceremonial cloak until the ritual began. Tonight, Terzo had processed in alone. Perhaps he’d known no one would be able to look at anything but him. Perhaps he’d just wanted to be sure of it.

“There’s something else I learned, on my long journey home,” he continued. “Anticipation can be a potent intoxicant. A moment of tension, even uncertainty, can make the feeling of fulfillment all the sweeter. I wanted to share that with you all, tonight. Let you drink it in.”

Something shifted in his expression, as he walked back down the aisle a bit. He looked less cocksure and prideful, more earnest. The change in his countenance made him look close to vulnerable, which was a very strange sight with his robes and mitre. He stopped and turned to face the pew beside him, and the Sister seated at the end looked up at him with wide eyes. From where he was sitting, Copia could just see her face – oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, it was you. Three rows back on the left, there you were.

He hadn’t even seen you walk in. You were dressed completely differently from the last time he’d seen you; your habit was trimmed in red and embroidered with symbols reserved for librarians. Asmodeus below, you were a librarian already? That was impressive, and it also explained why neither he nor Terzo had seen much of you – the library kept more than just books in its archives, and it was quite the process to induct someone new.

You were so beautiful. There was such undeniable lust in your eyes, as you looked up at Terzo, but there was tenderness behind it, a softness to your features that made Copia’s heart ache. He’d wondered now and then if you and Terzo had seen each other in the intervening months, but now he was certain you hadn’t. He saw longing in your gaze, strong enough to match his own. Terzo reached down and took your hand in his, inviting you to stand beside him. You did.

“My unholy Sister in sin,” he said, “if it is your will, I desire nothing more on this earth than to begin tonight’s ritual with you.”

Copia watched as you lifted your other hand and brought it to Terzo’s face, tucking an errant strand of hair behind his ear. You were looking at him like you could scarcely believe he was real, and Terzo’s expression still carried that tinge of vulnerability. As though he were afraid you would refuse him. Copia’s pulse was pounding in his ears, now; did anyone else understand the gravity of this moment?

“Yes,” you nearly whispered it, but the whole chapel heard you. “Yes, I will.”

Terzo looked as though he were about to say something, but then quick as lightning, he brought both hands up to your face and pulled you into a desperate kiss. A much louder gasp went through the chapel, and Copia’s breath caught in his throat. He’d never seen a ritual begin like this, with Papa himself showing such a lack of restraint. There was just as much need in the way you wrapped your arms around Terzo’s back, bunching up the fabric of his chasuble as you held him close. When Terzo pulled back, the two of you looked at each other with such, such affection, it almost felt like intruding for Copia to witness it.

Instinctively, he understood that the two of you had never kissed before. All those afternoons full of laughing and conversation, and you hadn’t ever taken that final step towards each other. It seemed impossible to him, but there was no other explanation. The way you pulled Terzo in to kiss him again, again, again, carried such a frantic hunger, it was as though the world would end if you stopped. You kissed him like you could never get enough of him, and the way he groaned into your mouth carried a sort of breathless relief. Like neither of you had ever thought this would happen.

Why? How? You were both so fucking breathtaking, what in Lucifer’s name had stopped you? It had been obvious to him from the start that the two of you were interested in each other. He’d thought it had been obvious to everyone. What had kept you from acting on it?

None of it mattered now, of course, and so Terzo led you up to the altar, both of you panting for breath. He lifted the veil from your head and set it on a table behind him, next to the thurible. His mitre went with it, which made his hair fall into his eyes, again. He then carded the fingers of one hand through your hair, and you hummed delightedly, probably at the feeling of the claw tips on your scalp. Oh, that must have been such a hellish sensation. He reached for the collar of your habit, pausing until you nodded your assent before he began to unbutton it.

As quickly and quietly as he could, Copia shifted out of the pew. He scurried along the side of the chapel, flicking his eyes across the pews to see if he could find a seat closer to the front. By some infernal miracle, there was just enough space for him in the very front row. For a second, he hesitated; there wasn’t so much as a set of prayer kneelers between the front pew and the altar. Just a few feet of empty space. There was no way the two of you wouldn’t see him.

The gleam of candlelight on the nails of Terzo’s gloves caught his attention, and he looked up to see him gently sliding the fabric of your habit down your sides. As he moved, Terzo’s eyes flicked up, landing right where Copia was standing. For just a moment, his eyes widened with surprise, and then he gave Copia a smile so heated, it could only be called devilish. It burned the nervous hesitation right out of Copia’s body. His feet seemed to move of their own accord, until he was seated in the front pew. His clothing felt suffocatingly hot.

Copia was close enough that he could smell the soft, spicy fragrance of the incense smoke that still drifted lazily from the thurible. He could see…Satanas, he could see everything. The shine of your hair in the candlelight, the flush in your cheeks, the shape of your body…you were beautiful, of course you were, but it felt like a gift to see you so close. The gentle dip of your skin as Terzo continued to undress you was mesmerizing to him. He wanted to know the feeling of it all so badly, both your skin under his hand and Terzo’s touch on his own body. He couldn’t decide if this was bliss or torment.

Once every last stitch of your clothing was gone, Terzo took your hand in his and helped you onto the altar. When you were seated, he closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply, as though to calm himself. He reached up to cradle your face in both hands, looking at you like you were something unfathomably precious, and the way you smiled at him made Copia understand. The two of you had been pulled in such different directions by the Ministry, and now neither of you were going to waste this chance. It felt like a fist had closed around Copia’s heart and squeezed.

In the pew beside him, Copia saw some of the other members of the congregation shifting towards each other, the sound of soft kisses and shuffling fabric beginning to fill the chapel. By now, Copia usually would have started gazing around at the congregation again, letting his excitement build as he sought out his own company, but he didn’t move. If anyone was looking his way, he didn’t see it, and it wouldn’t have been enough to catch his attention. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you and Terzo. He was flushed red and panting now, his cassock far too snug to be comfortable, but he was so transfixed by the sight of you, he could hardly move.

Terzo slid his gloved fingers gently down the side of your cheek, repeating what he’d done to himself just minutes ago. With his other hand, he held you steady by the waist, keeping you upright as you panted and shivered under his touch. Copia was close enough that he could see goosebumps forming on your skin, as the pointed tips of Terzo’s claws dragged across your body. He could also see the way the claws pricked at your skin a bit, and lord, he was envious.

Terzo’s hand traveled lower, dancing across your breasts down to your stomach, soft leather followed by sharp metal. The claw tips left faint marks in their wake, not breaking the skin but drawing soft, beautiful lines across your body. Your eyes fluttered closed, your head tilting back in bliss, and Terzo was looking at you now with outright adoration. Fucking hell. He was still completely clothed, but he looked more exposed than you did.

Your lips already carried a few smudges of his paint, matching the spots on his mouth where it had smeared. Combined with the disheveled state of his hair, the two of you looked so…human. It felt less like a mystical ceremony and more like two people just drinking each other in. So, when you pulled Terzo in by the back of the neck and kissed him again, it didn’t surprise Copia at all to see your hands reaching for the fastenings of his chasuble.

That wasn’t how this typically went, but it wasn’t exactly prohibited. The usual ceremony involved Papa pleasuring his companion first before joining them on the altar. It was fairly obvious that you didn’t have the patience for that, though. In a matter of seconds, you’d undone the collar and started tugging the chasuble down over Terzo’s shoulders. He broke away from your lips just long enough to shuffle it off completely.

Copia couldn’t suppress a gasp when the fabric hit the floor. Tradition dictated that Papa be nude under his robes, but it was still such a thrill to see his whole body at once. All that was left were Terzo’s shoes, which he kicked off without even looking. The lust simmering under Copia’s skin flared hot, and he could no longer ignore the stifling pressure his trousers were putting on his cock. He yanked both gloves off and tore at the buttons of his cassock, opening it as quickly as he could until at last he was able to undo his fly.

It was a stilted, fumbling affair, since he was unable to look away from the two of you, but somehow, he managed to shove his pants down and grab hold of his aching shaft. He bit back a moan, trying to keep quiet so he could hear you. He couldn’t remember being this turned on in his life. He spat into his palm and forced himself to go slowly, savoring the slick pressure of his hand as he stroked his cock. If he went as fast as he wanted to, he’d burst immediately, he was certain.

Terzo’s gloves were longer than they’d looked, the snug leather reaching well past his wrists. You leaned down and bit one of the cuffs, and Copia was confused for a moment before he saw the shine of a zipper pull between your teeth. You dragged it slowly up, sliding your fingertips under the leather as it began to open, and Terzo watched you with stunned, smoldering eyes. He was breathing quickly now, shivering a little at the feeling of your hand on his, and as you turned to do the same to the other one, a shaking moan escaped his lips.

The gloves were so tight, you had to peel the leather from his hands, sliding your fingertips up the surface of his palm to slowly work them off. When they were gone, you threaded your fingers into his, leaning in close so your foreheads touched. Your expression was serene, perhaps even satisfied, and Terzo looked happier than Copia had ever, ever seen him.

Terzo climbed up onto the altar with you, lying down at your side and kissing his way across your chest. With one hand, he reached down to squeeze gently at your thigh, his thumb sliding teasingly over the crease of your hip. You shivered, hips jerking upward involuntarily, and the softest whine escaped your throat. Copia felt his desire melt into need, raw and close to frustrated. Terzo clearly felt much the same, if the way he moaned against your skin was any indication.

Both of your arms were wrapped around Terzo’s shoulders, one hand gripping his hair while your dug your nails into his back with the other. Terzo’s hand moved inward, his whole palm cupping you between your legs, and as he slid it slowly upward, his eyes squeezed shut with a gasp.

“You’re so wet…” he sighed softly, and his words cut through the silence between you like a knife.

“Please,” you hissed, rolling your hips up into his hand. “Please, Terzo.”

He turned to look at your face, and his gaze darkened at the sight of your expression. Copia bit back another moan; your brow was pinched tight, cheeks flushed and lips parted as you panted for breath. You looked just as desperate as he felt, himself, and when Terzo surged up to kiss you again, he felt another stab of envious lust in his chest.

“Yes, my love,” Terzo murmured, flexing his fingers to coat them with your slick. “I’ve got you.”

He pushed his hand forward, and you gasped. The sound of his fingers moving inside you was faint, but it made Copia shiver all the same. Your hand tightened in his hair as your hips tilted up into his hand. Terzo kept his gaze on you, eyes focused even as strands of hair began to fall in front of them. The paint, smudged though it was, created such beautiful shadows along his face, and with his brows furrowed in determination, there was an intensity to his expression Copia couldn’t remember seeing before. It was stunning.

Copia’s hips twitched uselessly upwards as he felt pleasure crackling under his skin. He watched your head start to fall back, eyes closed, lips open as you panted for breath. The sounds you made were gorgeous, rough-edged and breathless as your voice began to climb in pitch. Your back began to curve up off the altar, your whole body shaking just a bit, then a bit more, then a bit more. Terzo gave a soft huff of breath, tilting his wrist so his palm pushed up against your clit, and your eyes popped open wide before snapping shut, again.

“That’s it,” Terzo said, his voice soft and reverent. “Let go for me, beautiful.”

“Fuck, Terzo–” you hissed, tugging on his hair hard enough to pull a moan from his lips.

His hand began to move faster, wet noises reaching Copia’s ears much more easily now, and your hips started to jerk upwards as your breath came faster and faster. Copia’s body shook hard, pleasure rolling hot up his spine, and he bit down on his other hand to keep himself quiet. He kept his movements slow, stopping altogether when it got to be too much. He couldn’t let himself come, not until he saw your face when your own climax hit.

Blessedly, he didn’t have to wait long. Your hands flew down to your sides, gripping the altar cloth tightly as your wail echoed off the chapel ceiling. Terzo swore softly, keeping his hand moving, drawing your pleasure out as you trembled underneath him. Neither he nor Copia could look away from you, watching your face twist in ecstasy. Your cries grew softer as it rolled through you, hips falling back down onto the altar with a soft thump, and as you caught your breath, Terzo slowly withdrew his hand.

He brought his fingers up to his mouth, sliding them between his lips and dragging his tongue over them to savor the taste of you. Copia gave a muffled shout into his hand, his head falling back as he got closer to the edge. He heard you gasp softly, and he started to pull himself upright again, wanting to see what you did next.

“Copia,” you sighed.

Copia jumped at the sound of you saying his name. Reflexively, he tore his hand away from his cock, feeling his face flush hot with embarrassment. He really shouldn’t have been; the whole point of Papa taking his partner to the altar was so the congregation could see them. This was different, though. This was you. This was Terzo. If either of you said the word, he would put himself back together and leave.

You didn’t look upset to see him, though. You looked delighted. You were smiling so warmly at him, even as you still had one hand in Terzo’s hair. Terzo’s eyes were also on Copia, scorching with lust, and as his eyes flicked down to Copia’s cock, he bit his lip.

“I want to hear you,” you said.

That got a moan out of Copia, and he pulled his hand from his mouth, licking his other palm again before stroking himself hard and fast. There was no way he could hold back now, not after hearing you say that. He dug the heel of his other hand into the cushion underneath him, hips starting to lift up off the pew. His voice was reduced to a series of low, gasping moans, but they sounded so loud without his hand there to muffle them. He wanted to keep his eyes open so badly, wanted to keep watching, but they still fell shut as pleasure began to overtake him.

“Fucking beautiful,” he heard Terzo murmur.

“Aah, fuck!” Copia shouted.

He didn’t know if Terzo was talking about him, but it was enough, the idea that he could have been was more than enough. The coil of heat in his core finally snapped, and his release spilled over his chest and stomach as bliss rolled through him like thunder. He couldn’t have kept himself quiet if he’d wanted to, groaning loudly into the open air as he worked himself through it. He could feel your eyes on him, the weight of both of your gazes fueling the fire under his skin. It felt like far too much and not nearly enough, when he collapsed back down onto the pew.

It took him a while to catch his breath. He let his head fall back again, his mind gone entirely blank, hardly hearing the sounds of passion in the chapel around him. After some time, the sound of Terzo’s voice reached his ears, a soft hum accompanied by the wet sounds of kissing. He opened his eyes to see you pulling Terzo on top of you, one of your legs coming up around his hip as you kissed him deeply.

Terzo’s mouth traveled down your neck, pressing soft kisses to your collarbone and shoulder, and he turned to look at Copia again with desire in his gaze. His eyes raked over Copia’s body, taking in the mess he’d made of himself, and then Copia saw him lick his lips.

“Oh, you’re exquisite,” he said.

The sound Copia made at that was incredibly undignified, but he was past caring. He knew for certain Terzo had been talking about him earlier, and it made him shudder all over again. Terzo turned to look at one of the attendant ghouls stationed near the wall of the chapel, nodding towards Copia before turning his attention back to you. The ghoul walked over to Copia and knelt in front of him, gesturing to his chest with an inquisitive chirring noise.

“Oh,” Copia laughed softly. “Yes, thank you.”

With a sharp grin, the ghoul leaned in close and dragged their long, sinfully hot tongue over the mess on Copia’s skin. The soft rumble of purring reached his ears as the ghoul cleaned him up, taking his fingers into their mouth and sucking until every drop had been consumed. They nuzzled their face into his shoulder before taking their leave, the smooth metal of their mask warm enough for him to feel it through his clothes. He undressed completely once they were done, tossing this cassock to the floor, and the cool air was a relief to his overheated skin.

When he looked back to the altar, you had lifted yourself up to kiss hotly at Terzo’s chest, dragging your tongue across his skin the same way the ghoul had done to Copia. Terzo was looking at him with a satisfied smile, humming softly at the feeling of your mouth. Despite it all, Copia felt exposed, seeing how intently the two of you had been watching him. It gave him such a thrill, though; for all that you were on the altar for everyone to see, he felt like the one who was putting on a show.

You traveled higher, pressing fluttering kisses to Terzo’s throat, up his jaw, until finally you claimed his lips, again. The leg you’d wrapped around his hips pulled him closer, and he moaned softly into your mouth.

“Satanas,” he sighed, “I can’t wait, I can’t–”

He lifted his hips, and Copia saw you flick your eyes over to him before pulling your leg back by the knee. It moved your thigh out of the way, so Copia could have a clear view of Terzo’s cock as he lined himself up to enter you. Between the sight itself and the fact that you wanted him to see this, Copia felt lust kick to life in his core, again. With a shaky exhale, Terzo slid inside you, and the way the two of you moaned almost in unison was absolutely delicious.

With a soft whimper, you wrapped your legs around Terzo’s hips, and he lowered himself onto one elbow so he could kiss you. He started to move his hips, thrusting into you slowly at first, and Copia was just close enough that he could still hear you as you moaned into his mouth. Copia’s eyes were fixed on the two of you, watching the way your bodies moved together, the way your hands clutched at Terzo’s back like you never wanted to let go.

Terzo groaned loudly against your lips, moving his hips faster, drawing out farther so he could slam back into you. The force of it broke the kiss, and you threw your head back with a gasp, a shaking cry escaping you as you bucked your hips up to meet him. Terzo’s brow furrowed with concentration, and he watched your face intently as you lost yourself to pleasure.

“Don’t stop,” you said, your voice high and breathy. “Don’t fucking stop, Terzo, please.”

Copia was hard again, and he scrambled for the basket of supplies that was stashed under every pew, pulling out a bottle of lube and squirting some onto his fingers. He shifted a little so he was lying sideways, one leg up on the cushion while his back rested against the arm of the pew. He slid one finger inside himself, watching the way Terzo’s hand held onto your hip. His fingers looked a bit bigger than Copia’s, but they were elegant, graceful even in the roughest of movements. They would feel so much better than Copia’s own, he knew.

He started stroking himself again, slow for now, watching the way your nails dug into the skin of Terzo’s back. The sounds you were making were absolutely gorgeous, and with your head tilted back, he could see the whole expanse of your neck and chest. It was covered in smears of Terzo’s paint, contrasting beautifully with your flushed skin. Copia wanted so, so badly to kiss it, to leave little smudges of his own paint behind as he worshiped you with his lips and tongue. He was caught between longings again, wanting desperately to have you writhing under him, wanting just as badly to feel Terzo buried inside him.

Perhaps there could be space for him between you.

The idea made him bite his lip with a moan, as he slid a second finger in. When he could, he moved them faster, trying to match Terzo’s pace, curling his fingers up a little until he had the right angle. His cock was leaking already, and he let go of it before he lost control too soon. He wanted to savor this, and not just because there was a treacherous voice in his mind saying he might never get to see it again.

You turned your head to face Copia, and at the sight of him, you moaned loudly, back lifting up off the altar for just a moment.

“Are you close?” you whispered.

“Yes.”

Copia and Terzo both answered you, Terzo choking on the word while Copia’s voice was tight with need. Terzo shouted, looking at Copia with amazement before his eyes shut tight again. One of your hands let go of him, and you slipped it down between your legs, past where Copia could see. The quick movement of your arm was enough for Copia to know what you were doing, but the way Terzo started to move faster was just as telling. Copia swore softly, taking hold of his cock again and stroking in time with Terzo’s thrusts. He could feel warm, liquid bliss start to wind its way up his spine, and he welcomed it.

“Fuck, please,” Terzo bit the words out, “let me feel you, let me hear you, please.”

You started sobbing with bliss as you broke apart, your whole body shuddering hard as your legs squeezed tightly around Terzo’s hips. Your nails scratched hard enough at his back to leave marks, bright red against his skin, and the absolutely desperate noise Terzo made was enough to throw Copia right over the edge. His hips lifted up off the pew, and he fucked himself hard with his hand, making loud, slick noises as his pleasure burst over his stomach. His voice was broken and rough, gasping cries tearing out of him as his climax scorched through his body.

He had to rip his eyes open again, when he heard Terzo start to lose control. He watched as Terzo shuddered and gasped, his face contorting with bliss as he pressed himself as deep inside of you as he could. His voice was so quiet now, barely more than breath, but Copia could hear him. At last, he fell onto you with a sigh, tucking his face into your shoulder as the last of the aftershocks faded away.

The world felt so quiet, when Copia withdrew his fingers and relaxed back into the pew. The sight and sound of the congregation around him felt immaterial, and for a long, splendid moment, he let himself bask in his satisfaction. Even with the distance between himself and the altar, even with how long it had been since he’d seen either of you, he felt so connected to you and Terzo. As the three of you caught your breath, he drank up the feeling of intimacy in the air between you. He had never felt so content in his life.

It couldn’t last forever, though, and soon enough the attendant ghouls were coming up to the altar to help clean you up. Another came to assist Copia, the same one as before, and he gave them an affectionate pat on the shoulder when his hands were clean. He could feel himself returning to the present, the haze of dreamy euphoria starting to fade from his mind as he realized where he was. The chapel felt like a chapel again, an offering to the dark lord, no longer a space just for the three of you.

He knew he was going to have to dress himself and leave, before reality caught up with him. He could not let himself think too hard about what he’d just done, or he’d be dreadfully embarrassed, he knew it. This tended to happen now and then, when he really let loose during a ritual. He’d stretched himself a bit too far beyond his comfort zone, and he needed some time alone to recover.

Besides all that, though, he couldn’t bring himself to face you or Terzo. Not right now. It was all too fresh, too intense, and he was certain he’d mess it up somehow, if he tried. It had been perfect, and he didn’t want to ruin the memory by pushing his luck right now. He wanted to treasure this, somewhere in the very center of his heart where nothing could reach. If he looked up to see either of you looking at him dismissively, it would be all he’d be able to think about, when he remembered this.

While the ghouls were effectively blocking the two of you from his sight, he got dressed as quickly as he could. Without looking at the altar again, he made his way out of the chapel, slipping through the side door with his heart in his throat.

Chapter Text

The rest of the abbey was quiet, the hallways all but deserted with the majority of the congregation still in the sanctuary. About halfway to the dormitory wing, the nervous energy began to drain from his body, and he found he was much more exhausted than he’d bargained for. He really should have taken another minute to rest, but he knew he never would have been able to risk it. He felt suddenly lightheaded, weary to his very bones, and he threw an arm out to rest against the wall, breathing deeply with one hand over his eyes.

There was a small parlor a few feet behind him, and he had just enough sense left to decide collapsing into a chair would be more comfortable than collapsing on the floor. He doubled back and entered the room on shaky legs, flopping down onto one of the plush sofas and letting his legs dangle off the front. The feeling of his hair rumpling against the cushions told him he’d forgotten his biretta in the chapel. Whatever, he could deal with that later.

With all of his panicked adrenalin gone, he found he could no longer suppress the feeling of loss encroaching on his heart. He’d done his damnedest to keep from thinking about you, about Terzo, for the whole long stretch of time since he’d seen you last. Now, there you were, wrapped in each others’ arms, probably curled up on the altar right nowwhile he lay alone half a building away.

Should he have stayed? Would either of you have wanted him to? That didn’t matter now, and he wouldn’t have known how to ask, anyway. Certainly not with all of those people around. The way he felt about the two of you was so...much. It felt like too much to even acknowledge, and the idea of asking if either of you felt the same was terrifying. He’d buried it deep in his heart for ages, and now it was on the verge of bursting from him all at once.

He wasn’t sure how he was going to walk into the library, after this. Hell, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do next time he attended mass. Maybe by the time he saw one of you again, he would’ve had time to collect himself. Maybe. Hopefully. The idea of talking to either of you right now sent a chill through him. It had been so perfect, shouting his ecstasy in concert with you, and he could never bring himself to regret it. There was no way he could risk tarnishing that by trying to unwind the tight ball of emotion in his chest.

There was a distant noise from the hallway, but he didn’t pay it much attention. He was getting his strength back, albeit slowly, but whatever was going on outside the parlor was none of his business. The sofa cushion was soft underneath him, and with every breath, he felt just a bit more ready to put this heartache behind him. Besides, if anyone else did come in, it wasn’t too unusual for someone to need a nap on their way out of a ritual orgy. The parlor was much quieter than the crowded chapel, and after all, sloth was a sin encouraged by the Ministry.

The sound got louder, and as it drew closer, he recognized it as footsteps. Thundering footsteps, clearly someone running as quickly as they could. From the dull thudding sounds, they weren’t wearing shoes. Hmm. Maybe someone forgot to bring their sex toys and had to run and get them.

“Copia.”

For the second time in maybe an hour, Copia was startled back to the present by the sound of your voice. He scrambled upright to see you standing in the doorway, barefoot with your tunic hanging wrinkled from your shoulders. Your veil was gone, your hair a bit wild around your face, and your mouth and neck still carried smears of papal paint. You slumped against the side of the doorway, sighing heavily with relief, of all things.

“Oh Lucifer, I thought I’d lost you,” you said.

Copia just sort of stared at you, every ounce of his remaining strength devoted to keeping his breathing steady. He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. The ache in his chest was threatening to spill over again, and he was certain if he tried to say a single word, it would all come crashing down.

You pushed yourself up off the door frame and walked into the room, sitting down on the sofa beside him. You looked worried, and that made Copia feel even worse; why were you here? Why were you worrying over him, and not back in the chapel, luxuriating in the afterglow? You set a hand on his shoulder, and his breath caught in his chest. You were touching him. You were so close.

“Are you alright?” you asked.

Copia nodded. He wasn’t sure if he was lying or not.

“...it’s pretty loud in there, huh?” you asked, looking at him with sympathy.

Oh, Satanas, you were so kind. Even if that wasn’t the reason he’d left, it was true, and it was an easier question to answer than the obvious one.

“Yes,” he leaned into your touch. He couldn’t stop himself.

As though that was what you’d been waiting for, you leaned forward and pulled him into an embrace. It was like a battering ram to the walls around his heart. With a trembling breath, he moved closer, holding you by the waist and tucking his face into your shoulder. You smelled like sweat, and incense, and makeup, and sex. Both of you were still flushed hot and a little bit sticky. You felt so real.

“I’ve missed you,” you whispered, right into his ear. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” his voice was thinner than he would have liked. He couldn’t say anything else.

“Can I…”

He felt your whole body move as you took a deep breath, and when you spoke again, your voice was small and uncertain.

“Can I kiss you?” you asked. “If not, that’s fine, I just...I had to ask.”

Copia sat bolt upright, leaning back to look at you with stunned eyes.

“What about Terzo?” he asked, so quickly he was almost annoyed with himself.

“He’s on his way,” you said. “He asked me to find you. He has to give the final benediction, and then he’ll be -”

Copia’s body reacted before his mind could begin to catch up. He pulled you into a kiss so quickly, his lips landed on the corner of your mouth, at first. Your hands came up to cradle his face, and your soft whimper against his lips cracked his heart right in two. The longing, and lust, and helpless affection he’d carried for so long spilled through him like a volcanic eruption. He couldn’t hope to hold it back, whatever happened now. He was lost.

He kissed you like tomorrow wouldn’t come, and you answered him with hunger, sliding closer on the sofa until you were halfway in his lap. At the first brush of your tongue against his lips, he opened eagerly, clutching at your back so your chest pressed into his. Your fingers slipped into his hair, nails scratching gently at his scalp, and between the warmth of your hands and the solid weight of your body on his, Copia had never felt so perfect. Even when you drew back to breathe, you held him close, resting your forehead against his the same way you had with Terzo.

“I wanted to come see you,” you said, sounding close to anguished. “One of the occultists left, and no one else could read the ritual texts. There were so many ghouls we had to summon. I’ve been in the infernal wing for ages.”

Copia felt his stomach drop; the infernal wing was where the ghouls lived, where summonings and banishments were conducted. Entering and leaving required a set of protective rites, so a human could safely handle that much exposure to the Pit. It was easier for the occultists to stay down there until the ritual was done. The process of summoning a ghoul, acclimating them to their vessel, and producing a glamour heavy enough for them to leave the wing took days. Summoning more than one or two at a time was almost unheard of.

“I looked for you,” he said, rubbing his hand in slow circles over your back. “Every time I led mass, I would look at the third row on the left. Every single time. Even when Terzo couldn’t attend, anymore.”

“He still sat there?” you asked. Fucking hell, you really had been gone for a while.

“He did,” Copia nodded. “We had lunch, sometimes. When we could. We missed you terribly.”

“I missed you, too,” you said again. “I couldn’t fucking believe it, when I saw you sitting there.”

You kissed him again, holding him by the back of the head and pressing your lips together hard.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” you said. “All of it. Lucifer, you’re so beautiful, Copia. Drove me fucking crazy, watching you touch yourself.”

Copia groaned against your lips, pulling you all the way into his lap. It pushed the skirt of your tunic up your thighs, and he made a breathless noise when he saw you hadn’t put your underwear back on. If it hadn’t been for his complete exhaustion (and probably yours), he would have undone his trousers and let you ride him then and there.

“I had to,” he panted. “You’re both so fucking gorgeous, and the sounds you made…”

You wrapped your arms around him again, pushing against him a little so he sunk into the back of the sofa. His head rested on your chest, soft and warm, and the two of you just held each other like that for a long, long while. It felt perfect, having you so close, feeling you hold him and press your lips to his hair now and then. His earlier panic had melted away, and even with the raw tenderness of his heart exposed like this, he felt safe in your arms. In the far, far back of his mind, some fearful instinct told him this could never last, but your weight grounded him, kept it quiet for now.

“I should have said something sooner,” you said. “Should have worked up the nerve before I had to leave.”

“I thought you and Terzo…” he mumbled. “I didn’t think either of you would ever look at me twice.”

“You never – oh, Satanas,” you chuckled softly. “This has been quite the evening, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, it has,” Terzo said.

Despite it all, Copia jumped again at the sound of his voice from the doorway. He hadn’t even heard him walking down the hall. It jostled you in his lap a little, but you didn’t move. You didn’t so much as let go of him. You just turned to look at Terzo with a warm smile, holding out one hand to invite him to come and sit beside you.

Terzo was in his chasuble again, but he wasn’t wearing his mitre or gloves. As he walked in, Copia saw his shoes were gone, too. It was as though he’d simply thrown it over his head and left. Maybe he had. He sat down beside you and Copia, leaving a few inches of space, looking a bit uncertain. Despite the way you were still clinging to Copia – or perhaps because of it – he hesitated a little as he set his hands on your shoulders. One on yours, one on Copia’s. He looked like he wanted to hold you, but he wasn’t sure if he should.

“I thought of you every night,” he said. “Every single night of the tour, I prayed the dark lord would let me see your faces again. I didn’t dare hope for more than that.”

His voice was soft and shaky, his easy confidence from the chapel nowhere to be found, and his expression carried that same softness Copia remembered from their last lunch together. It felt unreal to him, that Terzo would be the one to think he was asking too much. The desperation in his voice earlier began to make more sense. Terzo wasn’t performing, anymore. He needed this just as much as you and Copia did. Copia lifted his head from your chest and reached for him, beckoning him closer.

“You can have more than that,” he said. “You can have as much as you want.”

Terzo shifted forward and kissed him, wrapping his arms around the two of you as best he could. The sound he made against Copia’s lips was absolutely heartbreaking. When Copia’s tongue ventured out to flick across his lips, he moaned loudly and welcomed him in. Copia felt you shift in his lap to give Terzo more room, and then he found himself holding both of you at once, Terzo’s leg slung over his own. He felt like the luckiest man who had ever lived.

“Will you come back to my rooms?” Terzo asked. “Both of you. You don’t have to.”

“I will,” Copia nodded, giving his lips another peck. “Of course, I will.”

“So will I,” you murmured.

Terzo’s head fell onto Copia’s shoulder, and he let out a long, shaking sigh.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

--

The papal chambers were enormous, compared to Copia’s rooms. The walls were a gallery of artwork, paintings and photographs hung between old, faded movie posters. The fireplace had been recently lit when the three of you walked in, the logs just starting to catch, and all of your missing items of clothing were folded on a table by the door. Ghouls, no doubt. Copia made a mental note to thank them, the next time he saw one.

“I don’t know about either of you,” Terzo said, “but I would love a bath, right now.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Copia laughed. “I don’t suppose your tub is big enough for all of us?”

“You’d be surprised,” Terzo grinned at him.

He opened the bathroom door to reveal the most enormous tub, built into the wall next to an equally impressive shower. It was filled with steaming water, fragrant oil floating on the surface, and you stopped in the doorway with your jaw hanging wide open at the sight. Terzo was already pulling his chasuble off, folding it up and setting it on a nearby counter as he made his way inside. Copia followed suit, and after a second to gather yourself, you joined them.

Terzo gestured to the two of you to get in, and Copia let out a soft groan as the water embraced his tired muscles. He reached a hand out to help you in next, and the two of you discovered a bench built into the side of the tub. Clearly it was built to be shared. You hummed softly with contentment and sank down a bit, letting the water come up to your neck. Terzo watched the two of you with an affectionate smile, but as he passed by the large mirror on the wall, he flinched at the sight of his paint.

“Right,” he cleared his throat. “I should probably take this off, first.”

You and Copia exchanged a look, and then you both half-swam to the edge of the tub and reached for him. Your fingertips just barely reached his shoulder, and when Terzo turned around at the feeling of them, he looked surprised to see you.

“Come here,” Copia said gently.

Terzo pulled a bit of a face. “You’re sure? The oil won’t smell as nice, with all of this in the water.”

“I’d rather have you in here than any sweet-smelling oil,” you said. “Besides, I’m wearing about half of your paint, at this point.”

He looked like he was going to say something else, but then he sighed softly, taking both of your hands and letting you guide him into the water. It could have been the heat of the water, or perhaps just how intense the whole evening had been, but Copia felt a bit like he was dreaming. His thoughts were tinged with a sort of cloudy euphoria, and it made him brave enough to lift Terzo’s hand to his lips, kissing it softly. Terzo’s smile was soft, almost fragile.

The two of you stayed on either side of him once he was in, and while you reached for the soap on the shelf behind the tub, Copia found a small basin and filled it with water.

“Here,” he said, gesturing for Terzo to turn. “I’ll wash your hair.”

“Eh?” Terzo looked genuinely surprised. “You don’t have to – I was going to–”

“If you’d rather I didn’t…” Copia began, feeling his earlier anxiety start to rear its head, again.

“No, it’s…” Terzo looked sheepish, for a moment. “Thank you.”

When he turned back around, you were waiting with a washcloth, and as Copia washed his hair, you gently began to remove the paint from his face. He was tense at first, as though afraid he would push one of you away if he leaned too far into the touch. In response, Copia moved closer, letting his thigh push up against Terzo’s back, supporting him. Your arm came around his waist to hold him up, and gradually he began to relax. The way his head fell back as Copia massaged his scalp was absolutely beautiful.

When the two of you were finished, Terzo turned around and offered to wash Copia’s face while you took care of his hair. It became a sort of dance between the three of you, switching places and helping to wash each other until you were all clean and relaxed. You leaned against each other when it was done, Terzo’s head resting on your shoulder while Copia held you to his chest. As you enjoyed the warmth of the water and each others’ company, Terzo gave a small chuckle.

“This isn’t how I imagined this going,” he muttered.

“Oh, you’ve thought about this?” you asked, and you only sounded a little teasing about it. “Or were you expecting to bathe alone, tonight?”

“I’ve thought about this for weeks,” Terzo said. “On the quieter nights of the tour, the ghouls and I would talk about what we would do when we got back. When we realized we would get here right before a ritual orgy…”

He paused for a moment, reaching to take Copia’s hand under the water. Copia felt as though his heart were glowing deep in his chest.

“I was ready for neither of you to be there,” Terzo continued. “I was preparing myself to find someone else, for it to be a new kind of excitement that came with my duties. When I imagined seeing one of you there, it felt indulgent. I only let myself dream of having you both once or twice.”

“I thought greed was a sin?” Copia said, smiling into your shoulder. He understood, of course. Before today, he’d scarcely let himself think about either of you, let alone wonder what could have been.

“True enough,” Terzo laughed softly, “but I was convinced that when I returned, the two of you would have forgotten all about me. I was trying to make it hurt less, I suppose.”

“I could never forget you,” Copia said. “Either of you. I never have. I’ve tried, but I could never do it.”

“I thought of you two every day,” you said, looking between him and Terzo like you’d been given an embarrassment of riches. “I would wonder what you were doing, whether you still had lunch together, what you would say when you saw me, again. It gave me – it was nice to think I might have someone to come back to, once it was over.”

Terzo brought a hand up to your cheek, and you leaned into it, kissing his palm. Your expression carried such naked affection, but it wasn’t the first time Copia had seen this same warmth in your eyes.

“Did you two really never get together, before now?” he blurted.

You both turned to look at him with equally stunned expressions, and then you began to laugh. Your head fell down onto Terzo’s shoulder, and that made Terzo start laughing, as well. Copia grinned a bit bashfully; it was a silly question, when he really thought about it. It certainly didn’t matter, now. Still, it had been burning in his mind all evening, so it had been bound to escape him at some point.

“No, we didn’t,” Terzo said. “I thought the two of you were already lovers, when we met. Or, you were about to be.”

“Wha–” Copia blinked, looking at Terzo with shock. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “I only realized I was wrong when she started her work at the library.”

You sighed softly, turning to look wistfully at Copia.

“I wish I’d said something sooner,” you said. “I was just...afraid. I didn’t want to ruin what we had already.”

“I wouldn’t call this ‘ruined’,” Terzo said.

“Neither would I,” Copia squeezed Terzo’s hand, and as you leaned into him with a happy sigh, he wondered how he had ever lived without this.

When you were all nice and tub-wrinkled and the water was starting to cool, Terzo went to the closet and got some fluffy black robes for you to wear as you dried. Copia slid his on and let out a yawn so deep, it took him by surprise. Terzo invited you and Copia to stay the night, and despite everything that had happened already, he still looked nervous when he asked it. As though either of you would refuse him. Hardly a minute later, Copia found himself tucked under the softest covers he’d ever felt, cuddled up on Terzo’s left side while you were stretched out on his right.

With the lights off, Copia couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Terzo’s breath was warm where it washed over his shoulder, his presence a welcome weight on the bed beside him. The disbelieving excitement that had stayed with him all evening finally began to leave, and an incredible exhaustion took its place. The heavy fog of sleep began to settle over him, so quickly he barely even heard Terzo speak.

“I treasure you.”

It was less than a whisper, more a movement of his lips. His voice was soft enough that Copia wasn’t certain he was meant to hear it, even as close as he was. He didn’t have it in him to reply, barely had it in him to understand the words at all. Distantly, he knew he should remember it, but he wasn’t certain he would.

Chapter Text

When Copia awoke the next morning, it almost frightened him, how rested he felt. He was lifted from the kind of heavy, dreamless sleep that usually meant he’d forgotten to set an alarm. He was also very warm, which almost never happened, given his habit of kicking the covers off. He opened his eyes gradually, tilting his head until his neck give a tremendous pop. From his side, he heard a giggle, and he turned to see you lying next to him, one hand over your mouth to stifle your laughter.

“Good morning,” you said, and though your voice was quiet, your eyes were sparkling with happiness.

Oh. Right. Oh, fuck.

“Mmh, morning,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes to hopefully get them to focus a bit better. “Sleep well?”

“Very,” you said, “though I’m willing to bet you slept even better.”

“Might have, yeah.”

He sat up a little, looking around the room. The curtains were mostly shut, but a slice of sunlight peeked out from one side, illuminating the far wall. He didn’t see anyone else.

“Where’s Terzo?”

“Getting breakfast ready,” you said, nodding your head toward the door. “Should be done soon.”

You were lying on your side, facing Copia with your head resting on one arm, looking at him like he was the loveliest thing you’d ever seen. The light from the curtain was diffuse, painting the room in a sort of pale glow, and the soft shadows gave your features an almost ethereal quality. You looked like a dream, a vision. He reached for you instinctively, some part of his mind wanting to make sure you were real.

The way you shifted over to him, wrapping both arms around his waist and resting your head against his chest, was enough to pull a soft gasp from him. He held you tightly, leaning down to bury his face in your hair, breathing in your scent tinged with the fragrance of the previous night’s bath. The weight of it all settled over him again, and he shivered a little, unable to believe his good fortune but unable to deny it while he held you in his arms.

A squeaky sort of rumble came from your stomach, and you laughed softly and looked down at it in feigned annoyance.

“Nobody asked you,” you muttered.

Copia snorted with laughter. “Maybe you should’ve gone to help Terzo.”

“I guess,” you nuzzled your face against his chest, again. “I just didn’t want you to wake up alone.”

You said it so effortlessly, but your words hit Copia like a blow to the chest. He squeezed you as tightly as he could, pressing impassioned kisses to your hair before trailing down to your cheek. You kissed his lips once, twice, and he was a bit stunned, given he’d just woken up. He did his best to keep his mouth closed, anyway.

He heard Terzo come into the room, soft footsteps followed by a creak as the mattress dipped behind him. You both turned to look at him, and the sight of his loose shirt and pants made Copia suddenly conscious of how naked the two of you still were. Terzo’s hair was soft and free from its usual style, though, and with his face completely unpainted, he looked more relaxed than Copia had ever seen him.

“Good morning, love,” he ran a gentle hand over Copia’s hair. “How long have you been up?”

It took him a second to answer, because leaning into the warm weight of Terzo’s hand was so much more important. “Not long.”

“Are you hungry?”

“She is,” he said, and then he laughed when you poked him in the shoulder. “I might be, too.”

“Come with me, then,” Terzo leaned down to kiss his forehead, then yours. “I have clothes you can borrow, if you’d like. Though I won’t mind at all if you decide not to.”

He waggled his eyebrows, and now it was his turn to get poked in the shoulder.

Copia ended up putting the robe back on, while you slipped on a long-sleeved shirt similar to the one Terzo was wearing. You elected to skip the pants, though, instead borrowing a pair of his boxer briefs. Copia was almost jealous of how good they looked on you. Breakfast ended up being warm toast set out on the coffee table, with jam so fresh it made his mouth water as the bread crunched under his teeth. Terzo made coffee using an absurdly fancy-looking espresso maker, its flavor rich and smooth on Copia’s tongue.

There were two sofas in front of the fireplace, but all three of you decided to sit on one of them while you ate. The plates were black with gold on the edges, matching the coffee cups perfectly, and the cloth napkins were softer than they looked. The Ministry was an indulgent enough environment by its very nature, but Copia felt well and truly spoiled by it all. It wasn’t just the finery around him; being here with the two of you, sharing the easy intimacy of breakfast after everything that had happened the previous night, felt like so much more than he deserved.

It was difficult not to let that feeling get to him, the more he woke up, the faintest itch of nerves under his skin making him wonder how long this would last. Maybe he’d drunk his coffee too quickly, but he was starting to feel a prickle of fear in the back of his mind. He’d pushed his luck too far, wanted too much, and now he was right on the brink of losing it all. Maybe it was because the last time he’d felt this relaxed around you and Terzo, it had been shortly before you’d begun your work at the library. Or, it mght have just been because he couldn’t fathom the idea of a world where he was this fortunate.

His nerves must have shown on his face, because Terzo set a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see his brown pinched with concern.

“Everything alright?” Terzo asked.

Copia could hear the love he didn’t say at the end, and it reassured him a little. On his other side, he felt you lean a little closer, your leg coming to rest against his. He glanced at you and saw you holding your coffee cup in your lap, fingers tapping nervously on the side.

“Yes,” he nodded. “Yes, everything is wonderful. I just...don’t know what happens next.”

Terzo took a deep breath, and Copia felt his heart clench tight in his chest as he mentally braced himself. The hopeful part of him wanted to believe he was worried over nothing, but he couldn’t let himself relax yet. Finally, Terzo pursed his lips for a moment before he spoke again, his voice raised a bit, as though he had to force the words out.

“I want to be with both of you,” he said. “If it’s what you want. Only if it’s what the two of you want. I know it’s so much to ask, but I can’t – I couldn’t think of anything else for the whole tour. What we had before. I always wanted more, but I could never ask.”

He sounded just as nervous as Copia felt, the same way he’d been in the parlor after the ritual. He was looking between you and Copia like he was terrified of losing you, like you were something unbearably precious, and his whisper from the night before flew to the front of Copia’s mind. He completely froze, unable to believe what he’d just heard. Was this...was this really happening?

“It’s what I want,” you said, startling him out of his stunned silence. “I think it’s what I wanted from the beginning. I just didn’t say anything until it was too late.”

Copia looked at you, then Terzo, and then it finally occurred to him that you were both waiting on his answer. Yes, this was actually happening. He took each of your hands and squeezed them tightly, laughing from sheer disbelief.

“Yes,” he nodded, unable to say much else at the moment. “Yes.”

Terzo pulled him into his lap, chest warm against Copia’s back, and you slid over and did your best to wrap your arms around them both. Copia couldn’t seem to stop smiling, despite the way his eyes were watering. In the depths of his mind, part of him was so afraid of losing this. The quietest whisper of doubt told him it could never work, it would never last, you were both so far out of his reach. Then, he felt Terzo’s breath on his shoulder as he gave a long, shaking sigh, and he saw the way you were looking at the two of them like you’d never been so happy in your life, and he told that voice to fuck off.

“Please tell me neither of you have work today,” he said, finally realizing how late in the morning it was.

“The day after a ritual orgy? Fuck no,” Terzo laughed.

“Me either,” you said. “I’m actually on a bit of leave, after all that time in the infernal wing.”

“I’m going to have some words with the occultists about that,” Terzo said, lifting his head to look at you with concern.

“Later,” you said, leaning more fully against Copia, “let me enjoy you, for a while.”

Copia slid his arm around your waist, pressing his lips to your temple. You turned and kissed him, humming happily, and he laughed softly as it pushed him further into Terzo’s lap. His breath caught for a moment as he felt Terzo’s lips on his neck. Terzo gave him a few feather-light kisses before opening wider, letting the very tip of his tongue flick over Copia’s skin. Copia made a soft noise against your lips, and you pulled away from him, leaning over to kiss Terzo right over his shoulder.

Oh, that did things to him. The two of you were so warm, enclosing him completely, and all he had to do was flick his eyes over to see a peek of tongue between your dovetailed lips. The sound of it was obscene, and as you both moaned softly and panted for breath, he felt your voices humming all the way down his chest and back. Lucifer save him, he’d never gotten hard so fast in his life. He shivered, leaning back against Terzo as his hips jerked up against your body.

“Oh, fuck,” you whispered, your hand coming down to hold onto his hip. “That really got to you, huh?”

“Mm-hm,” he nodded, whimpering softly as he felt Terzo’s arms pull him close, again. “Lucifer, I want you. I want you so fucking badly.”

He sounded pathetic, he was sure. This wasn’t like him; he was usually much more coherent than this, especially with a new partner. He would learn what they liked, how best to bring them pleasure, long before he started to lose himself like this. Feeling both of you pressed up against him had broken right through his composure, spinning the ache of longing in his chest into a visceral need.

“Shit,” Terzo hissed, and Copia felt his legs tense a bit, pushing his hips up into him. “He’s hard already, isn’t he?”

“He is,” you purred, turning to kiss the corner of Copia’s mouth. “I can feel it.”

Copia leaned into it almost frantically, grabbing at your shoulder to pull you back to him. You indulged him, bringing one soothing hand up to his face as you kissed him with slow, deliberate sweetness. He clutched at you, his other hand flying down to Terzo’s arm on his waist, as though you’d vanish into thin air if he let go. It almost frightened him, how desperate he was to feel more of you.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Terzo murmured, sliding one hand up Copia’s chest, “we’ve got you. We’re right here. You like being between us?”

Copia moaned right into your mouth, and when you let him go so he could speak, he tried to follow you for a moment out of pure instinct.

“Yes,” he whispered, squeezing Terzo’s hand. “It’s all I could think about, when you were on the altar.”

Maybe that had been his first mistake. He’d never let himself imagine being intimate with either of you, and so the mere idea had been enough to drive him crazy the night before. Now that it was so close to being real, he’d lost his grip on his hunger, and this was what it had reduced him to. Terzo tensed again underneath him, his breath stuttering on the back of Copia’s neck.

“Bedroom,” he said. “Now.”

It was a bit of a scramble, but once you were all up, getting to the bedroom was a complete blur. You tugged your shirt off and threw it somewhere before you’d really even gotten through the door, and Terzo pulled the robe from Copia’s shoulders without a word. Copia’s hands fumbled a little with Terzo’s shirt, the feeling of warm skin underneath far too enticing for him to really focus. Eventually, the three of you landed naked on Terzo’s bed, and then suddenly Copia had your mouth on his chest and Terzo’s on his neck, and he could do nothing but feel.

His hands couldn’t stay still, fingers sliding through your hair as the nails of his other hand raked down Terzo’s back. Your tongue swirled over his nipple, and he jumped, moaning loudly into the open air. His hips jerked upward, but your combined weight held him down, Terzo’s leg pushing between his own. He was already panting for breath, his whole body shaking underneath you as Terzo bit down on his neck.

“Please,” he begged, “fuck, please.”

“Tell us what you want,” Terzo said, pressing his tongue into the spot he’d just bitten. “Whatever you want, you can have it. Just ask.”

He couldn’t possibly mean that. If he asked for too much, he would never get it, he was sure. But oh, what if he did? And, he couldn’t ask for any less. He couldn’t think of anything else, any palatable compromise that wouldn’t give him away. One single, overpowering desire had consumed his thoughts since your lips had touched across his shoulder. Nothing else would suffice. Nothing could even come close.

“I want to be between you,” he confessed, feeling his face scorch with embarrassment but unable to stop himself. “I want you inside me while I’m fucking her. I want you both to consume me.”

You moaned loudly against his chest, moving up to grab his face and kiss him savagely. He whimpered as your tongue delved into his mouth, drinking in your hunger, hardly able to believe he was the cause of it.

“Can I finger you?” you asked, looking at him with burning eyes. “Can I get you ready for him?”

Your voice was rough and close to pleading, like there was nothing on earth you wanted more, and he felt his cock pulse and twitch under Terzo’s leg. Terzo buried his neck in Copia’s shoulder and groaned, holding onto his hips and grinding their bodies together. It made Copia’s eyes pinch shut for a second, his hand tightening reflexively in your hair. Did you both really want this? Did the idea excite you?

“Yes,” he nodded, kissing you again. “Fuck yes.”

Terzo rolled off of him and reached for the nightstand, sliding the drawer open with perhaps a bit too much force. He retrieved the lube and handed it to you, and you sat up so you could pop the cap open and spread it over your fingers. Copia opened his legs for you eagerly, watching intently as you reached down between them. The cool, slick feeling of your fingertip on his entrance made him jump, but you were patient, waiting for him to relax before you slowly pressed inside.

He hummed low in his throat as he felt your finger flex a little, withdrawing just a bit before gliding in deeper. At his side, Terzo was watching the two of you with a heated expression, close enough for Copia to feel the warmth of his body, but not quite touching. Copia reached for him, drawing him into a languid kiss and sighing in relief when he came closer. You curled your finger, deep enough now that you pushed right up into that sensitive bundle of nerves, and he gasped, panting softly against Terzo’s mouth.

“Satanas, you’re beautiful,” Terzo murmured. “How did I ever go so long without this?”

Copia almost believed him. Whatever reply he might have come up with was interrupted when you added another finger, pushing forward slowly until they were all the way in. They were deeper than before, and you moved them in a slow wave, teasing him with the softest increase in pressure. He gave a startled moan as he felt his cock twitch again, warm sweetness starting to crackle up his spine.

“Do that again,” he whispered, “please.”

He heard you laugh softly before you obliged him, moving with a little more force this time. He kissed Terzo again, letting his mouth travel down the soft skin of his throat. Terzo made the most wonderful sounds at the feeling of Copia’s mouth, leaning into his side so Copia could feel his little shivers of excitement. Oh, fuck, Copia was already dripping, hips rolling into your hand entirely on their own, and he knew he was not going to last. He didn’t even have it in him to be embarrassed, he was so worked up, sucking a mark into Terzo’s neck as he tried to taste as much of him as he could.

“Touch me,” he hissed, reaching for Terzo’s hand. “Make me come. I can go again, I just – oh fuck, I want it.”

Terzo swore softly, and then he was diving down to Copia’s hip. For a second, Copia was confused, but then he felt Terzo’s tongue drag up the side of his cock. He huffed with surprise, lifting up onto one elbow and watching wide-eyed as Terzo took him into his mouth. Terzo looked sideways at him as he pulled back up, stroking the shaft with one hand as his tongue circled the head. The spit-slick twist of his hand coupled with the wet heat of his mouth was entirely too much, and Copia fell back again with a shout.

You pulled your fingers a little further out now, moved them a little faster, and Copia made a choked sound as his eyes popped open to stare at the ceiling. You did it again, and again, building up the heat inside Copia’s core until his eyes began to water. His cock throbbed inside Terzo’s mouth, leaking onto his tongue, and Terzo moaned at the taste. The low rumble of his voice resonated all the way down Copia’s shaft, and he shouted again, his voice rough and breathless. It was far too much. It wasn’t nearly enough. He could never, never get enough.

“Harder,” he whined, “please, please, please, don’t stop.”

“Fuck, Copia ...” you sounded just as worked up as he was.

There was a moment of adjustment as you braced yourself, and then you started fucking him with your hand, hard enough that your palm slapped against his skin. His eyes squeezed shut, and when Terzo took him in deeper, he bit his lip to stifle a groan. His hands flew down almost frantically, one of them fisting in Terzo’s hair while the other landed on your arm. You took it in your free hand, letting him squeeze tightly as pleasure began to overwhelm him. Insensible as he was, he wanted badly to remind himself it was you, it was Terzo, you were right here and you weren’t going anywhere.

“Oh fuck,” he gasped. “I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come – ah, aaahhh–”

Hot, molten bliss rolled up his spine until it finally burst, pulling a desperate cry from his throat. He shook hard as it hit him, and Terzo put an arm over his hips to keep him steady. The warm weight holding him down only made it better, his breath catching in his throat as his hips bucked uselessly against it. Terzo swallowed his release almost greedily, making the most sinful noises when Copia’s hand pulled his hair. You buried your fingers in deep, fucking him through it, moaning softly as you felt his body squeezing you tight. When it finally left him, he crashed back down onto the bed, all coherent thought replaced by an exquisite haze.

Chapter Text

By the time he came back to himself, his voice was dry and ruined, and his eyes were wet when he finally blinked them open. He coughed a bit as he caught his breath, trying to put the pieces of his mind back together. A hand on his back helped him sit up, and then someone was gently wiping a tissue over his face. When his eyes focused again, he saw that it was you, looking at him with such incredible tenderness, his vision began to blur all over, again.

“It’s alright,” you said, drawing him close so he could lean on your shoulder. “Just breathe.”

The hand on his back was dry, which meant you’d cleaned yourself up before attending to him. He hadn’t even noticed you remove your fingers. Terzo was gone, but the sound of movement from outside told him he was still nearby. Sure enough, he returned in a matter of moments, carrying a few bottles of water in one arm. He set them on the nightstand before opening one, handing it to Copia as he sat down on his other side. Copia took a deep breath before he even tried to drink it, feeling a bit like a pane of glass that had been shattered and then quickly reassembled.

The water was cool, soothing his throat, and the first mouthful made him realize all at once how thirsty he was. He finished the whole bottle in one go, and then he took a moment to breathe before rolling onto his back, again. He put one hand over his face, the reality of what he’d just done falling over him like a heavy rain. He had never lost himself like that, not once. Not with anyone. Of course, now that he’d finally gotten the chance to be with the two of you, he’d completely fallen apart.

He felt like he should apologize, but he wasn’t certain what for. He was fairly sure he hadn’t done anything wrong, but it also felt like he’d overreached, like he’d asked for too much. Even if you’d both seemed so, so eager to give it to him. Terzo lay down beside him again, giving him a bit of space, but after a moment, he set one hand on Copia’s chest.

“Are you alright, love?” he asked. “That looked awfully intense.”

“It was,” Copia nodded, clearing his throat. “I’m fine, though. Sorry if I...sorry if that was too much.”

“Too much how?” you slid down so you could lie on his other side. “We’re the ones who just wrecked you.”

“Heh…” his hand slid up to his eyes, as though if he couldn’t see either of you, this would be easier. “It’s just, I’m not usually that. Ah. Selfish. I guess.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” you murmured, “That wasn’t selfish. That was wonderful.”

“Maybe not selfish,” he mumbled, turning his head away from you, feeling like he needed somewhere to hide. “Maybe just – I’m not usually so –” Loud. Unrestrained. Needy. Vulnerable. “I don’t know.”

It felt like he’d done this all wrong. He should have kept a level head, should have paid more attention so he could give the two of you what you wanted, what you deserved. Instead, he’d turned into a needy mess, verging on demanding. Being so close to you both, feeling your skin on his, had unraveled him with terrifying speed. It felt like you’d cracked him open, uncovering the desperate, starving thing hiding under his skin. Maybe this was why he’d run away so quickly the night before. He was afraid of being found out.

Terzo slid over and pressed a warm kiss to his shoulder, letting one arm wrap loosely around his waist.

“I adore you,” he murmured. “I treasure you, Copia. I loved every second of that. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Even the most cynical part of Copia’s mind couldn’t avoid connecting the dots, hearing the quaver in Terzo’s voice and understanding what he was trying to say. He rolled onto his side and pulled Terzo into his arms, burying his face in the thatch of hair on his chest. Behind him, your hand came up to rest on his side, and he reached for you blindly, urging you closer. You were up against his back in less than a moment, soft and warm, pressing a firm kiss to his shoulder.

“I’ve wanted to do that all morning,” you said.

“Oh?” Somehow that hadn’t occurred to him, but why else would you have done it?

“Mm-hm,” you turned your head and rested it on his back. “When I saw you in the chapel...fuck, when I heard you in the chapel...I wanted to be the one doing that to you, making you shudder and moan for me. You’re so fucking beautiful, Copia.”

You wrapped your arm around his chest, resting your palm right over his heart.

“So precious to me,” you whispered.

Copia brought his hand up to cover yours, letting your fingers intertwine. He believed it, now. He had no choice. With both of you pressed up against him, your voices soft and sweet in his ear as you murmured your praises, it toppled his doubts entirely. If anything, now his guilt felt foolish and short-sighted. He’d never thought this could be possible, that anyone would see him at his most needy and undignified and still want him. In all his life, he had never felt so cherished, so desired.

(He could taste the stronger word on his tongue, the soft feeling nestled deep in his chest. Later. Right now, this was enough.)

"You…” how was he even supposed to say it? “You’re both so – you’re everything to me. I want to be good for you. Good to you. I–”

His little slip-up caught up with him, and he snapped his mouth shut. His face was burning now, but he wasn’t exactly ashamed. Enclosed between you, he felt safe and shielded, like he could bare his soul and you would hold it with care. The glow in his chest returned, and his mind grew pleasantly hazy. It was like a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, one that he’d been carrying for so long, its absence felt strange.

"You are,” Terzo whispered. “You’re so good for us, love. You’ve given us so much.”

Copia shivered, feeling his passion beginning to stir again. He nuzzled his face into Terzo’s chest, squeezing your hand in his own.

"I can give you more,” he said. “I want to give you more.”

“And we’ll take it gladly,” you murmured.

You lifted yourself up enough to lean over and kiss his cheek. He turned towards you, drinking in the delighted gleam in your eyes as he leaned in to kiss you. He felt Terzo’s hand move to his other side while yours took hold of his hip, and he let himself be moved until he was lying between your legs. Terzo kissed languidly down his spine, sliding his hands down Copia’s side to grip him by the hips. Copia leaned back into him and hummed softly, shivering a little when your hands came up to his chest. Your nails scratched at his skin, just enough for him to feel, sharp pricks of sensation that sent lust whirling through his body.

He was hard again in moments, pulling you towards him, adoring the way your breath hitched with anticipation. Your arms wrapped around him as he entered you, pulling him tight against your chest as you moaned deliciously in his ear. He gasped at the feeling of your walls around him, wet and hot and tight. He panted into your shoulder, taking a moment to collect himself, and then he felt Terzo holding him steady as he lined himself up.

“Yes,” he sighed. “Oh, fuck yes.”

The head of Terzo’s cock pressed into him, and he made a choked noise at the stretch. It had been a while since he’d done this. ...well, he’d never done this exactly, but it had been a while since he’d been fucked. He remembered how, though, how to keep his breathing even and relax. It was so different, such a wonderfully new sensation to be buried inside you while Terzo took him from behind. He was still a little sensitive from his earlier climax, his body cherishing the feeling of your fingers. The first brush of Terzo’s cock across his sweet spot had him biting your shoulder with a shout.

“Fuck!” you hissed, clutching at his back. “Do that again.”

Copia obeyed, sinking his teeth into you, sucking hard so it would leave a mark. The way you cried out and clenched around him made him shudder. Slowly, he began to move, rolling his hips back into Terzo before thrusting forward into you. The sensation was almost too much, pleasure growing relentlessly inside him, stealing the breath from his lungs. While he had thought for it, he kissed you deeply, swallowing your whimpers and humming against your lips when your nails scratched across his back.

“Oh, you feel good,” he said, speaking to both of you, hoping you understood. “You feel so good .”

Terzo groaned loudly, leaning forward so his chest was pressed against Copia’s back. He kissed softly at his shoulder, moving in time with Copia so his cock pulled out a little further, pushed in a little harder. Copia gasped at the feeling, feeling himself tighten around Terzo’s cock, and Terzo moaned loudly against his back. His fingers carded through Copia’s hair, curling just enough to hold on, and Copia leaned into it, biting his lip.

“Tell me when you’re ready,” Terzo said, his voice low and rough in Copia’s ear.

Copia looked down at you for confirmation, and he couldn’t help but moan out loud at the sight of your face. You were the picture of lust, flushed and panting underneath him, your hands trapped between Terzo and Copia as you clung to him. It seemed to take you a moment to understand what he was asking, but then you nodded, whining softly.

“Do it,” Copia said. “Please, Terzo.”

Terzo groaned, gripping Copia by the hair and pushing his face down against your shoulder. He started fucking him hard, snapping his hips into Copia with enough force that it pushed him deeper inside you. You gasped loudly, nails scratching at Copia’s back, your body trembling as you were pressed between him and the mattress. Copia bit back a cry at the feeling of your walls fluttering and squeezing him tight, pleasure winding hot up his spine as Terzo’s cock pounded into him. His hips ground into yours, pushing against your clit, drawing high, desperate sounds from your throat as you held on with everything you had.

Copia couldn’t think, could hardly even breathe. All he could do was pant into the crook of your neck as you both took everything Terzo gave you. Fuck, it felt so good to be used like this, to be trapped between you while you clutched at him and shouted with bliss. Terzo’s forehead pressed between his shoulder blades, his breath hot against Copia’s back as he gave a high, shuddering moan.

“Fuck, Copia,” he gasped. “Oh, you’re so fucking tight…”

Hearing his own name on Terzo’s lips was enough to drive Copia wild, but the way he sounded sent a bolt of lust right through his core. Terzo’s voice was rough and breathless with pleasure, the same way he’d sounded in the chapel as he’d fucked you. Copia felt your body start to arch up underneath him, your voice twisting up high as you began to lose yourself.

"More, please, please–” you whimpered softly, and then your voice cut out completely as your mouth opened in a silent scream.

Copia felt it when your climax hit you, making you clench rhythmically around him, and then at last you let out a rough-edged wail as your fingertips dug into his back. You bucked your hips up into him as best you could, drawing out the feeling as long as possible, breathing heavily between high-pitched, gasping moans. Behind him, Copia heard Terzo’s breath hitch at the sound of you, and the hand on Copia’s hip came up to grasp yours. As the aftershocks rolled through you, you turned your face towards Copia, purring into his ear.

“Don’t stop,” you said. “It’s so good. Want to feel you come, Copia.”

Oh fuck, you sounded so hungry for him. Terzo made a soft sound of need and began to speed up, lifting himself up a little so he could start pounding into Copia. It pushed Copia’s face down harder into you, and your head fell back with a long, shaking moan. Copia reached behind him and grabbed Terzo’s wrist, keeping his hand where it was, and his eyes pinched shut as he sighed against your skin.

“Take me,” he whined, his voice soft and pleading, “take me, take me, take me, please, Terzo…”

“ Fuck!” Terzo’s hips began to stutter behind him. “ Oh, I’m close.”

“Yes,” Copia gasped, “inside me, please–”

With a broken shout, Terzo pushed hard against Copia, his body trembling like a statue in an earthquake. Copia bit his lip to keep quiet, wanting to hear the sounds Terzo made as his cock began to kick and spill inside him. Warmth bloomed under his skin, a strange blend of satisfaction and hunger spreading through his chest, his desire only growing even as it was sated. Terzo pulled out of him, but he stayed close, tugging sharply on Copia’s hair with his flagging cock resting on the back of his thigh.

“Let go, Copia,” he growled. “Come inside her.”

His words shook something loose in Copia, and he shifted his balance a little so he could move his hips with more force. You slipped a hand down into the sliver of space between you, rubbing furiously at your clit as your voice began to climb in pitch. He felt you start to squeeze him tightly, making the sweetest sounds into his ear, and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He buried himself deep inside you, lifting your hips a little with the force of his movement, and then all he could do was groan breathlessly as pleasure crashed through him like a tidal wave. You gasped with faint surprise at the feeling of his release, and then you were coming again, squeezing every drop out of him as you shuddered and panted for breath.

Terzo was the first to collapse, falling onto his back beside you and doing his best to catch his breath. Copia couldn’t quite manage to roll off of you just yet, instead sliding down onto your chest as his legs sort of gave out, but you didn’t seem to mind. You just wrapped your arms around him, nuzzling your face into his hair with a soft hum of happiness. When he finally had it in him to lift himself up, you were grinning, wider than he’d ever seen before. With an exhausted laugh, he pulled slowly out of you before lying down at your other side.

You were all quiet for a while, after that. You stretched your legs with a deep inhale, shifting your hips from one side to the other, and Copia stretched his arms a bit, his shoulders popping softly. Terzo didn’t move at all, and the only sign he was even awake was the way he couldn’t take his eyes off of the two of you. All three of you were drenched in sweat, to say nothing of the rest of it, and despite the fact that you’d only been up for a few hours, you all looked completely exhausted.

“Can we, uh,” you mumbled, looking over at Terzo, “can we maybe take another bath?”

Terzo sputtered with laughter, bringing one hand up to cover his eyes.

“I think we should, yes,” he said.

--

The second bath wasn’t quite as long as the first, but it was delightful nonetheless. By the time you were all clean again, cuddled up on the sofa in Terzo’s soft bath robes, it was well past noon. Terzo pulled a record from one of the shelves on the wall and set it on a sleek turntable, and as the needle dropped, the soft thrum of music began to fill the room. He returned to the sofa and stretched out between you and Copia, leaning back until his head rested on the back cushion, looking up at the ceiling.

“I can hardly believe this is real,” he said.

“I’m right with you there,” Copia murmured.

He moved closer, tempted by the inviting way Terzo’s robe hung loose, exposing the thatch of hair on his chest. He slid one arm behind Terzo’s back, leaning down to rest his head just below his collarbone. It was just as warm and soft as it looked. On Terzo’s other side, you stretched your legs out and put your head in his lap. Your feet dangled off the arm of the sofa, but you didn’t seem to mind. Copia smiled down at you, and you brought one finger up to tap gently on the tip of his nose. He huffed with laughter, and when Terzo lifted his head to see what was up, you tapped his nose, as well. His look of bewilderment was enough for both of you to dissolve into giggles, and after a moment, he joined you.

Terzo insisted on cooking lunch, and while neither you nor Copia necessarily objected, you were a little miffed that he refused to let either of you help him. The two of you ended up waiting on the sofa, listening to the sound of clattering cookware from the kitchen. Occasionally, one of you would catch a glimpse of Terzo hauling something out of a cabinet, and you would exchange a look of mild concern. Soon enough, though, an absolutely delicious smell began to waft towards you, and your conversation fizzled out in favor of wandering over to the dining table and watching Terzo work.

It ended up being a rich and savory pasta, with sauce made from scratch, and only when he took his first bite did Copia realize how hungry he was. Terzo watched the two of you with an almost nervous expression as you ate, but when you both dug in with enthusiasm, he relaxed. Copia took his time, savoring the taste and texture, trying to identify all of the spices before he asked Terzo what he’d used. He’d ended up guessing most of them, though there were a couple of surprises. Terzo preened a little at the opportunity to impress him, and Copia couldn’t help but smile.

After that, the three of you just sat and talked for a while, finally catching up after being apart for so long. For the first time all day, Copia really felt how long it had been, and he was only able to measure the weight of your absence now that it was gone. He found himself getting a bit misty eyed, listening to Terzo recount how lonely it had been during the days leading up to his coronation. His stomach twisted with dread when you started to talk about the infernal wing, but he was relieved to hear you’d been able to find some companionship with the ghouls.

When you turned to him and asked how he’d been faring, he hardly knew what to say. If he’d been asked the same question two days prior, he’d have said he was fine. Maybe that it was taking some time for him to adjust, but he was fine. Now that he had you and Terzo again, he realized he’d only kept it together by building a fortress around his heart. He’d kept everyone at arms’ length, because if they’d gotten close enough to touch that tender yearning underneath, he would’ve broken down completely. He was certain that would have been enough to scare them all away, and then he would have been alone, again.

He was almost afraid it would scare you both away now, if he said all of that. But, you were still here. Maybe it would be alright.

“...I missed you,” he finally said. “I’ve been okay, but...it wasn’t the same. It was like part of me was lost, until last night.”

He winced as soon as that last bit left his mouth. That was rather dramatic. He didn’t take it back, though. Even if he’d tried to backpedal, he didn’t think he’d be able to say it with any conviction.

You had ended up stretched out on the floor during the course of the conversation, both feet propped up on the seat of a nearby armchair. Terzo was up by the turntable, switching out the record. Within moments, you were both on the sofa with him again, your arms wrapped around him from either side. Terzo’s lips were soft on his forehead, yours pressed fervently to his cheek, and he released a long, trembling breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“I know what you mean,” Terzo whispered. “I know exactly what you mean.”

You nodded, tucking your face into Copia’s shoulder. Copia wrapped his arms around you both, letting himself relax back into the sofa. The feeling of being adored was still new to him, but for once, he couldn’t bring himself to doubt it.

One day, he would be brave enough to say the words that were burning on his tongue. For now, he held the two of you close, treasuring your very presence. In your arms, he was home. He never wanted to leave.